The owner of the former Latham Circle Mall site gained approval for a zoning variance to attract a supermarket, and Dick's Sporting Goods is still interested in the site, Colonie planning director Joseph LaCivita said.

Since demolishing most of the mall this summer, Grossman Development Group has been quiet on prospective tenants for the revamped Shoppes at Latham Circle plaza. The JCPenney and Lowe's stores at the site are open, but the rest is rubble.

Grossman sought a variance that would allow a supermarket to go into a 188,000-square-foot building already approved for the site because the shipping and receiving area is designed to be within 200 feet of a zone for single-family homes. While warehousing or merchandising and retail wouldn't require the variance, a supermarket does, according to town regulations.

Without the approval, there would have been no room for a truck to unload groceries, LaCivita said.

"They got that variance to allow for a commercial use such as a supermarket," he said.

While speculation has focused on attracting a Costco or Wegmans to the site, the developer has not announced any tenants. LaCivita said he does not know if the developer has a specific market in mind, or if it wanted the approval to allow it to seek such tenants.

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Mark Hebert, Grossman's vice president, said in an email that he hoped to have something to announce within the next two weeks. The company's website says 372,000 square feet of new retail space is available.

LaCivita said another challenge for the developer is that the existing anchors, Lowe's and JCPenney, must approve any changes to the plaza plans.

"The tenants have the ability to review the lease documents," he said. "There are a lot of steps typical developers don't have to go through."

The same issue affects a hotel being built near Colonie Center, he said.

While Grossman has not yet announced any new tenants, LaCivita said he has been told Dick's Sporting Goods is still likely to locate there and convert its existing Latham store into an outdoor outlet called Field & Stream. Dick's received a building permit earlier this year for a 52,000-square-foot store.

"Dick's is still interested and planning to move ahead with this development," LaCivita said.